Élan Lafontaine

Party

Marsha, whose par­ents this week­end — Thank you God! — Thank you, God! – have been, this week­end, on their, on a vaca­tion, she gets my, gets the, our group’s  atten­tion, the atten­tion, at the- at our- at her – par­ty, and she,
(also, there too, my boyfriend)

Marsha announces to us all, “So guys, so- so I’ve made the draw­ings, guys.”

I said, “Party, guys! Party! Party! Party!”

(Because yes, Marsha, yes; I do love you.)

I said, “Party, guys!”

(These, guys, these, they are the sorts of thoughts that I felt that you can get, at that party.)

Marsha then said, “Wait, guys.” “Wait.” “Guys, guys, wait- wait, guys.”

Theresa,(who, and this, this is, I can, can say hap­pi­ly, hap­pi­ly, real­ly, real­ly, very, very hap­pi­ly, is final­ly now, is offi­cial­ly now, Marsha’s girlfriend),

Theresa said,

Guys!”
“Guys, it’s my theme, for God’s sake!”
“It’s my theme, guys!”
“It’s my theme!”
“Guys, guys, guys, it’s my theme!”
“It’s my theme!”
“It’s a theme that’s out at everyone!”
“This theme, this theme!”

This theme, this theme, this theme!” “Guys!”

That that whole time!”

Guys, that that whole time we’ve all been inside each other!”

Guys- it’s just these parties!”

It’s just that it’s these parties!”

Marsha rests weari­ly on Theresa’s shoul­der and sighs,
She – Marsha – con­tin­ues: “And, and, you know, guys, you know,
it’s just, guys, it’s just that,
that it’s these sorts of ideas, guys, you know.”

Crayons.” “Crayons, guys.”
“Crayons, crayons, crayons.”

Guys- crayons are my favorite!” Theresa shouts.

I said, “Theresa — they are my favorite, too!”
(Does every­one have any­thing like that you have to drink?) (Oolong, Oolong, Oolong!)
(It’s some­thing I have to have, it’s some­thing that I have to drink, Oolong.)

(I love Oolong, love it, love it, love it, love it, espe­cial­ly, espe­cial­ly when I draw, espe­cial­ly, Oolong)

Marsha says, “And it is a cup of Oolong, inside my best mug.”
“Guys, it is a cup of Oolong
inside my best mug.”
Theresa says, “I have a smile
that’s so wide at the par­ty! That’s so wide at the party,
with the Oolong!”

Guys, I have a smile that’s so wide in the drawing!”

I mean, and, guys, I mean, they were danc­ing!”

Marsha says, “Because, guys, we know, they were!”
Marsha says, “And the peo­ple I drew, the peo­ple I drew guys, guys the peo­ple I drew, they are danc­ing, the people!”

The peo­ple, they are dancing!”

But,” I said,
“but we’re all there,” I said,

we’re all there at the par­ty, there at the par­ty, unit­ed,” I said,

unit­ed with each oth­er, we are all there at the par­ty, and we’re unit­ed at the par­ty,” I said,
“we are unit­ed with each oth­er at the par­ty, and,” I said,
“we’re all, we’re all inside each oth­er at the par­ty, and we are all,” I said,
“we are all togeth­er,” I said,

togeth­er at the par­ty, we are all unit­ed at the par­ty, we are all togeth­er, there is no out­side at the par­ty,” I said,
“no out­side,” I said,
“no out­side, all inside,” I said,
“all inside at the par­ty, and so, and so, so,” I said,

I felt that, I felt that, that as a way, that as a way,” I said,

of, of, as a sign, of, as a sign of that, as a sign of that, I think, I think we should all,” I said,

we should be drink­ing tea as well, if that’s the case, if we are all at the par­ty, if that’s the case, if, if that is the case that we are all unit­ed, unit­ed, with each other.”

~

Élan Lafontaine is 22. His work has appeared in or will be appear­ing at NOON, Blip Magazine, metazen, and eli­mae.